Federal Communications Commission fcc 13-157 Before the Federal Communications Commission
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- Before the F ederal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554
- Reply Comment Date: (60 days after date of publication in the Federal Register)
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
Federal Communications Commission FCC 13-157  Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Adopted: December 12, 2013 Released: December 13, 2013 Comment Date: (30 days after date of publication in the Federal Register) Reply Comment Date: (60 days after date of publication in the Federal Register) By the Commission: Chairman Wheeler and Commissioner Clyburn issuing separate statements; Commissioner Rosenworcel concurring and issuing a statement; Commissioners Pai and O’Rielly dissenting and issuing separate statements. TABLE OF CONTENTS Heading Paragraph # I. introduction and Summary 1 II. background 5 A. FCC Regulations Limiting Airborne Mobile Use 5 B. 2004 Airborne Mobile NPRM 8 C. International Developments 11 D. Current FCC Authorization of Airborne Broadband Access 16 E. Other Federal Government Actions 20 III. discussion 22 A. Changes to Current Rules Restricting Airborne Mobile Broadband Use 27 B. Airborne Access Systems 29 1. Potential Harmful Interference from Uncontrolled Airborne Mobile Devices 29 2. Benefits of Airborne Access Systems 30 3. Technical Requirements 32 a. Mobile Device 34 b. Aircraft Picocell 36 c. Network Control Unit 37 C. Airborne Commercial Mobile Use 42 1 Part 87 Authorization Methodology 43 a. Part 87 Aircraft License Modification 43 b. Alternative Authorization Methods 48 2. Scope of the Authorization 54 3. Other Authorization and Licensing Issues 57 4. Applicability to Non-U.S.-Registered Aircraft Operating in U.S. Airspace 64 D. Other issues 70 1. Service below 3,048 meters (10,000 feet) 70 2. Voice Service Onboard Aircraft 72 3. Agreements with Canada and Mexico 74 4. Law Enforcement and Public Safety 75 IV. conclusion 78 V. procedural matters 79 A. Filing Requirements 79 B. Ex Parte Rules 81 C. Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis 82 D. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 83 VI. ordering clauses 84 APPENDICES APPENDIX A - Proposed Rules APPENDIX B - Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis I.introduction and SummaryII.By this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Notice), we propose to revise outdated rules and adopt consistent new rules governing mobile communications services aboard airborne aircraft. These rule changes would give airlines, subject to applicable Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DoT) rules, the choice of whether to enable mobile communications services using an Airborne Access System and, if so, which specific services to enable. The draft rules would also replace an existing patchwork of regulatory prohibitions on airborne use of mobile services in some, but not all, of the heavily used mobile bands with a consistent regulatory framework that explicitly forbids airborne use of mobile services in those bands unless they are operating on an aircraft equipped with an Airborne Access System. If adopted, the rule changes would reduce consumer confusion, increase protection against harmful interference, improve administrative efficiency, and facilitate expanded access to broadband services in flight. Additionally, while many airlines offer in-flight Wi-Fi broadband services, the proposals in this Notice would give airlines the option to allow consumers to access broadband services when airborne through their existing wireless service providers, just as they would on the ground. The Notice does not propose to mandate that airlines permit any new airborne mobile services. It does, however, provide a path for interested airlines to authorize increased consumer access to airborne mobile broadband services across licensed commercial mobile spectrum bands in a safe, non-interfering manner. III.In recent years, air carriers have been enhancing their in-flight communications service offerings to meet the increasing consumer demand for broadband connectivity on aircraft. One study predicts that the number of aircraft offering wireless connectivity will reach 4,048 by the end of 2013 (representing 21 percent of the global fleet), and will rise to 14,000 by 2022 (a 50 percent connectivity penetration in commercial aircraft).1 This study also projects that approximately 5,000 of these aircraft will offer both Wi-Fi and cellular options.2 According to one survey of adult airline passengers, 69 percent of airline passengers that brought a portable electronic device (PED) – such as a tablet or smartphone – onto an aircraft in the past 12 months reported that they used their devices during flight.3 The report did not distinguish between transmitting PEDs and non-transmitting PEDs. Also, notably, in October 2013, the FAA announced that, after performing recommended assessments and tests, airlines could safely expand passenger use of PEDs during all phases of flight.4 IV.Internationally, more than forty jurisdictions, including the European Union (EU), Asia, and Australia, have authorized the use of mobile communications services on aircraft. To the best of our knowledge, these services have successfully operated without causing harmful interference to terrestrial commercial wireless networks.5 Given the rapidly expanding demand for mobile broadband services, our recent efforts to improve consumers’ access to broadband services on aircraft,6 and the successful deployment of mobile communications services on aircraft in numerous other countries, we find that it is in the public interest to bring the benefits of mobile communications services on aircraft to domestic consumers. Specifically, we propose to:
V.Consistent with our continued efforts to increase consumer access to broadband and the FAA’s recent actions, this proposal would provide airlines with the technological tools to offer additional in-cabin communications services to their passengers at their discretion. Our proposal is focused on data services, but it is technology-neutral; we do not propose to limit the use of mobile communications services on airborne aircraft to non-voice applications. Deployment of such services, including etiquette and other rules, would be at the discretion of individual airlines, within the context of any rules or guidelines established by the FAA or DoT.11 Directory: pub -> Daily Releases -> Daily Business pub -> Acm word Template for sig site pub -> The german unification, 1815-1870 pub -> Baltic Olympiads in Informatics: Challenges for Training Together pub -> Preparation of Papers for ieee transactions on medical imaging pub -> Forthcoming meetings and conferences pub -> Asilomar Conference on Circuits, Systems & Computers, Pacific Grove, ca, November 1978, pp. 55 58 pub -> Forthcoming meetings and conferences pub -> Harmonised compatibility and sharing conditions for video pmse in the 7 9 ghz frequency band, taking into account radar use Daily Business -> Federal Communications Commission fcc 12-81 Before the Federal Communications Commission Download 330.65 Kb. Share with your friends:
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